100 Greatest Phillies: 45 – Dick Sisler

“But then I think of Dick Sisler and those great drives In the old park.” That’s a famous line in Ernest Hemingway’s “The Old Man and the Sea.” Sisler’s epic home run to win the 1950 Phillies the National League pennant was given a romantic spin, which is fitting — it was clearly the highlight of Sisler’s life and one of the greatest moments in Phillies history. Sisler himself was a very solid player, albeit a journeyman who found some fitting with the Whiz Kids of the late 1940s and early 1950s. He steadily hit in the higher end of the .200s his entire time in Philadelphia, while hitting over 10 home runs twice.

Comment: Sure, Sisler doesn’t have the sexy numbers, but he was an incredibly solid player for his entire Phillie career, hitting with an OPS+ above 100 each season. And of course, his big moment didn’t hurt. In fact, it very much helped.